Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.

To save duplicating my complaint about Virgin Media, I am copying the text from a letter I recently wrote to Virgin Media Complaints department. They make it very difficult to complain and do not publish a satisfactory complaints procedure on their website. Their CSRs say they can take your complaint, but nothing happens. I am sure many reading this will recognise the experience. I wish I had not moved away from Sky, and I am now stuck in a lengthy contract, which their t's & c's state I needed to have cancelled before I actually had a thorough appreciation of their service... why am I not surprised!

07 January 2013

Complaints Department

Virgin Media

PO Box 333

Matrix Court

Swansea

SA7 9ZJ

Dear Sirs,

Subject: Complaint

I am so angry at this situation, that I am compelled to complain formally. I have been on holiday and had hoped, but not expected, to see a response on my return. You have not even had the decency to respond.

The following is the text from my online complaint:

I went through this whole complaint form a few days ago, only for it to fail when I tried to submit it. If I was an unhappy customer before, I am even more unhappy now, having to write this again.

I was an existing customer for Virgin Broadband and Phone. After much discussion, and agreeing to what I believed to be an acceptable price, I agreed to move my TV from Sky to Virgin on 6/11/12.

At the time, Virgin was offering the VIP package for 6 months at half price. I requested that package and was told it was for new customers only. I said I would be a new customer for TV, but was still refused the package.

I asked if I could cancel my broadband and phone package and then apply for the VIP as a new customer. I was told I could but would have to wait 3 months (I think). That would have been acceptable to me, but CSR asked if I could be transferred tosomeone who could help. I agreed.

The CSR I spoke to finally worked on a package which she said would be almost the same as VIP and we agreed a price. I was told the package would offer unlimited calls throughout the week including mobiles and 0845/0870 numbers. It was the phonepackage which persuaded me to move to Virgin.

The service was installed the following week, but in the interim, I received the paperwork, but simply assumed I could trust to the Virgin Brand to deliver what we agreed, and I did not check the paperwork.

I have just checked my bill, and found I am paying for weekday calls, etc... and on checking online, I see my phone package was not changed.

I assumed it was just an error and called Virgin, only to be told I do not have unlimited calls on my package, and I would have to pay extra if I wanted it.

I tried to explain it should have been included, but the CSR said there is a note on file saying I had agreed to stay on the same phone package as I already had.

By that time, I was getting annoyed, and asked for something to be done. I was told there was nothing she could do.

I needed the phone service, so agreed to take it, but registered the fact that I would be complaining.

Virgin clearly believed I was lying when I said I had negotiated my package to include unlimited phone. The note on my file is wrong!

Why would I go to the trouble of negotiating what I thought to be the equivalent of the VIP package, but specifically stay with a phone package that is unsuitable for my needs?

I am spending 100+ per month, yet for the sake of just a few s, Virgin has now lost a happy customer.

I believe whoever agreed my new package deliberately misled me in order to stop me leaving and re-applying. Virgin has cheated me.

I trusted the Virgin Brand, and you have destroyed that trust.

I will cancel my contract with Virgin on principle and return to Sky just as soon as my contract allows.

This is not the first time I have had lousy service from Virgin. You will see from my file that my Broadband and phone installation was a disaster. There was damage to my property, and it took ages to resolve. I was not offered any recompense for thedamage and inconvenience and did not pursue it.

To say I am angry is an understatement!

I will tell my friends, family and work colleagues and contacts that Virgin is not to be trusted, and will recommend they do not consider Virgin.

I will post this on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other forums I subscribe to.

Having looked online at what others are saying about Virgin, I now see that you are not customer-oriented in any way, so posting my experience online is unlikely to make any difference to you whatsoever.

I should have checked this before committing to Virgin Media, because I certainly would not have moved from Sky if I had known just how appalling your service is, and that your CSRs actually lie to secure business. All I can do is try to prevent others making the same mistake I did in moving to Virgin Media.

Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.